A GROUP of air traffic controllers involved in an impasse with Fiji Airports management are questioning assurances made by the organisation and the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji that operations at Nadi and Nausori international airports were “normal”.
In a statement issued this week, senior air traffic controller and team leader Kolokesa Kini claimed there were concerns.
“Our regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority of Fiji (CAAF) has also come out to assert that contingency measures have been implemented and that operations continue to be safe at Nadi and Nausori airports,” Mr Kini said.
“We are extremely concerned that there appears to be a deliberate obfuscation that operations are normal.
“The simplest explanation is that Nadi or Nausori airport will provide a controlled service, using an air traffic control officer, whereas Labasa or Savusavu will provide a flight information service, using a flight information services officer.”
Mr Kini claimed the activation of contingency procedures, alluded to by CAAF, namely traffic information and broadcast advisory (TIBA) was “a degraded form of air traffic service”. ”
It reverts air traffic control service, that which is provided by an air traffic controller who issues instructions and prevents aircraft from flying into each other, into a situation where only flight information is provided, a service that is provided by an officer other than an air traffic control officer that only provides information to pilots,” Mr Kini said.
“It results in pilots, international and domestic flights, having to separate themselves from each other, separating themselves from obstacles on the runway in Nadi and Nausori’s case, separating themselves during arrival and departure phases up to a distance of 10 miles from the airport, and to altitudes of around 2500FT (762 metres).”
In response, Fiji Airports public relations and communications manager Christopher Chand said yesterday that contrary to the claim, they had never said that ATC operations were normal.
“We have repeatedly said that based on the situation, we have implemented a revised procedure,” he said.
“This revised procedure is used in other countries. We have discussed and received the buy-in of all airlines, based on a number of strategies to drastically reduce air traffic in our skies and runways. We have not experienced any delays to scheduled international and domestic flights.”
